Does anyone remember this children’s book? An elderly couple decide they would like a cat, so the old man goes out and finds a valley with hundreds of beautiful cats. And the cats get into a terrible fight over who is the most beautiful cat. Meanwhile, the old man finds a modest cat that didn’t get in the fight, and brings it home with him, and they live happily ever after.

Well one of them appears to have caught a tiger while the others are carrying some kind of ungulate. He might be a candidate.

Speaking of candidates, though it is quite obvious Harky was referring to Auraugu when he mentioned one who accept without question, there is a small place in the back of my mind that wouldn’t be surprised if he refused. Maybe only because he’s such an obvious choice but he has also proven to be quite introspective recently. There might be something with his insistence of being the champion of his own people that might spur him to defer the title of Gnoll champion of the Savage Races to someone else. Or perhaps he will hand down Champion of the Fuzzy Peoples and accept this new title. Or perhaps he will just dance with joy. For some reason, all would be equally expected to me.

Whoever said “hey we gotta save some for the other guys” has the kind of moderation, team outlook, and long-term thinking that Harky has been looking for. That’s the landshark champion. He hasn’t been looking for particularly good fighting champions – check out the loser behind him.

I’m guessing he sees some kind of potential in Penk. Perhaps his desire to succeed, youthful enthusiasm and such…though I doubt that would do him much good if he ends up facing off with somebody like Byron or Scipio.

Right. The land sharks are all id – “That Guy!”, making them an anti-Frigg.
The Avian is clearly holding in a lot of repressed madness, making him an anti-Byron!
The Goblin Engineer is the anti-Science Syrn’j,
The Dwarves will have a blind faith anti=Gravedust (who for all his faith-based nature, spends a lot of time questioning why things are the way they are.),
and the low self confidence, support character anti-Bandit is the Troll Bard.

Harky isn’t just building up Champions of the Savage Races, he’s picking a copy of the team that almost beat him last time!

Eh… I see where you’re coming from, but I see Magda (the fiery dwarf lady) as more of an anti-Rachel. Both are dealing with religious issues, particularly of past religions (the mystics for Magda, the Bloodshot Eye and her own open heart movement that she helped put down for Rachel). They also both have very respectful ways of speaking and thinking.

Similarly, Peng… err, Penk, rather… is more of an anti-E-Merl. Both are “losers,” both are, shall we say, unlucky in love, both have relatively meek personalities, both have only relatively minor fighting strength… it seems a better fit to me.

I would peg Auraugu as more the anti-Bandit. Both are boisterous and caring… in their owns ways. One is the self-proclaimed champion of his peoples, the other is an exile who was cast out yet has repeatedly tried to be a champion for her people (especially during the Gnome-town business).

Which leaves Gravedust and Scipio unaccounted for. And Best, but he’s gone and no one cares about him.

Honestly, we haven’t even met the landshark champion yet, so I could easily see him as being more of an anti-Scipio than an anti-Frigg. But then Scipio is already sort of an anti-Frigg himself, even though he’s on the… on the, uhh… crap. Maybe Scipio is about to defect to the Worlds Rebellion. Nah, that would just be silly.

Right? <_<

*ahem* Regardless, it's a bit too early to say whom exactly the landshark champion will counter. Could be Frigg, could be Scipio, could even be Gravedust (there's a twist I'd like to see! A landshark with the personality to actually qualify as the counterpart to Gravy!).

…no, but seriously, I have just now talked myself into worrying that Scipio is a candidate for betraying our heroes and going over to the WR.

Of course, now that I think about it more, I could also see Auraugu as being an anti-Gravedust. Particularly with the wisdom we’ve recently seen on display from Auraugu. We’ve seen so much of him on screen, but there’s a lot we don’t know about the champion of the fuzzy peoples. Both he and Gravy represent parts of their peoples culture and past.

Still, I don’t quite buy that argument myself, and prefer the Auraugu/Bandit connection. Partially because I think it fits better, and partially because I want to see a landshark version of Gravedust. :p

“…no, but seriously, I have just now talked myself into worrying that Scipio is a candidate for betraying our heroes and going over to the WR.”

I’d say that was a pretty low probability outside of complete magical mind wankery as he has his wood elf lady who would have to be troubled by the recent genocide in their heartland caused by the same races that are rebelling.

He’s a cool customer and probably a little opportunistic based on the gladiator background but he’s also stuck by the other members and seems to care.

How totally unhelpful. I hate how these articles never actually mention who started using it the way it’s now used, or when, or why. It’s just “In 2010 a Kindergarten teacher took the original photo of her dog. In 2012 the image got used a few times in a totally different context that has nothing to do with this meme. In May 2013 the meme was suddenly everywhere.” Thanks, stupid internet.

Ok, I’m a little in love with bucktooth, gum-smile landshark. his eyes are so excited and empty of aggression! He’s like your dorky little sibling before headgear. I just want to cuddle him and feed him meat gobbets. Please Please let wonk-tooth be the guy not killed in the free-for-all!

“HEY WHAT IS THAT GUY SAYING?”
“HEY THAT GUY WANTS TO TALK TO THE STRONGEST GUY.”
“HEY THAT GUY DIDN’T USE PRONOUNS.”
“HEY WHAT KIND OF STRENGTH DOES THAT GUY MEAN?”
“HEY WHY DIDN’T THAT GUY USE PRONOUNS?”
“HEY DOES THAT GUY WANT SOMEONE TO LIFT SOMETHING HEAVY?”
“HEY IS THAT GUY RACIST AGAINST LAND SHARKS?”
“HEY GUYS WHAT ABOUT THE MORAL STRENGTH OF A GUY’S CONVICTIONS?”
“HEY WHERE’S THE MEAT?”
“HEY LET’S EAT THE MEAT!”
“MEAT!”
“HEY GUYS WHAT CAN CHANGE THE NATURE OF A GUY?”

Wait, I thought Landsharks had something akin do a hivemind. A very, very dumb one. And that their intelligence was based off of how many were in their group. How can only ONE of them be one of Harky’s champions?

Would love to have something on how the heck these guys evolved and then became capable of surviving in a desert… I’m assuming the gills are completely vestigial by now or they would be a bugger in the sandy desert. Without the blowing sand and with enough water to drink I could see them evolving into a way to vent heat in the tropics or something.

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